Editorial Review

Originally written by Campbell in the '40s-- in his pre-Bill Moyers days -- and famous as George Lucas' inspiration for "Star Wars," this book will likewise inspire any writer or reader in its well considered assertion that while all stories have already been told, this is *not* a bad thing, since the *retelling* is still necessary. And while our own life's journey must always be ended alone, the travel is undertaken in the company not only of immediate loved ones and primal passion, but of the heroes and heroines -- and myth-cycles -- that have preceded us. ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Myth understandings
In various writing books, we can be told that there are really only nine plots in fiction or seven or three or some other number.For Joseph Campbell, when discussing myth (which is closely related to fiction), there is only one plot.This plot, which he never calls such, is the subject of his classic work, The Hero With a Thousand Faces.
A dated classic, and here's why...
Both as a commentary on the stages of myth and as its own mono myth, there is no denying the genuine artistry that Joseph Campbell has brought to this effort.But the reason he has been awarded a mere star is the same reason that hopefully this review itself will be dated when you read it -- namely because evolutionary behavioral psychology has made huge strides since 1948.
My Bible
I've been carrying around a tattered copy of this book since 1969 and it comes closest to what a Bible should be - a book that yields wisdom whatever page it opens to. It is most understandable if you have a project to do - writing your own novel, analyzing great literature, or working through your own dark journey. It's a book for serious thinkers who want to dig into the structure of the myths that all of humanity share. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    2. Mythology    3. Philosophy    4. Psychoanalysis    5. Religion    6. Sociology    7. Mind, Body, Spirit    8. Myths & mythology    9. Psychology    10. Religion / Philosophy   

Editorial Review

Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Herein lies the power of Read more

Reviews (104)

What a Wonderful Book
Joseph Campbell knows his subject, mythology and religious stories, so well that you can tell it has become instinctual for him to tie all the world's imagery and symbology together in a way that connects human beings in a truly transcendent way. This book clarifies how similar we all really are, at the core of our beings, despite where we live and in what millenia we are living in. So full of rich, thought-provoking conversation, I would recommend this to everyone, from young to old. It is just an awesome book that makes you fall in love with humans and human nature -- bad and good alike.

Brilliant
Both Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyer create a must read from their historic interview.This book has become my blueprint.

A book that seems to make religious nuts bitter.
Well versed and thought out, this book stands out and has been used in many of todays religion studies.Though some of his points can be perceived as "stretched", he is still a scholar in his field.It seems that the people that often criticize him and his works have little to no experience or education on the subject at hand and do it solely on the fact that it sometimes criticizes the monotony of modern and ancient religion.I recommend this book to everyone. Read the book and make your own educated determination. It could open your eyes and your mind.Or you can close your mind, avoid the book, and start a "crusade" against the author for speaking his opinion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1904-    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Campbell, Joseph,    4. Comparative Religion    5. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    6. General    7. Interviews    8. Myth    9. Philosophy    10. Religion    11. Religion historians    12. Religious    13. Sociology    14. Sociology of Religion    15. United States    16. Campbell, Joseph    17. Myths & mythology    18. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (13)

Dense and Obtuse, but Well Worth the Effort

A Classic
This is a fascinating book on Jungian thought and his psychological concepts. If you avoid being intimidated by the size of the book, and you methodically go through each page from the beginning to the end, you will grasp the extent and depth of Jung's intellect and ideas.
dense and yet...dense
I don't consider myself to be a total idiot. I've read a little psychology, a lot of philosophy, quite a bit of mythology, and have a fair grasp of history. At the same time, I'm also open to what today we call "New Age" or "occult" even if I am always going to be a bit of a skeptic. None of that really helped here. Ever read a paragraph and realize that you didn't really get what you just read? This might happen if you're tired, or lose your focus for a minute. Then you go back and re-read it and it makes more sense. Well, The Portable Jung reads like that initial scenario for me from start to finish, no matter how focused I am. The thing is, when I read a summary of Jung's ideas from another writer, I understand exactly what is being said. The collective unconscious,anima/animus, the shadow...it makes sense. Then I read Jung's own writing and can't connect the sentences. My grandmother says it just must be "bad writing." I don't know. Maybe Jung sensed in his own time the hostility and ultimate rejection of his ideas by the scientific community and always wrote and spoke that way to avoid the ridicule that plainer speaking of such unorthodox subject matter would provoke. (Wow, multiply the awkwardness of that sentence by 10 and you'd think I was channeling the spirit of ol' Gustav). Ironically, Jung has pretty much been ditched by the psychological community and embraced by English majors, such as myself, who would receive the written equivalent of a scowl from our professors if we ever wrote with the pretentiousness and virtually alien syntax of this book. Anyway, I worked and worked at appreciating The Portable Jung, reading as carefully as possible. I really wanted to like it. But first I needed to understand what I was reading sentence by sentence. I never did (however, the reasoning, when the clouds occasionally parted, seems to be pretty much what you'd expect from anyone trying to justify what is essentially parapsychology. Check out the references to the 300-something "random" interpretations of a patient's dreams, which, ta-da, remarkably revolve around the idea of alchemy and an Asiatic symbol called a mandala). 2 stars, though, since I did start keep track of my dreams a bit more (however I have concluded that a recent dream involving rollerskating had more to a movie preview I saw the day before of "ATL" rather than the Wheel Of Life).
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Movements - Jungian    3. Psychoanalysis    4. Psychology    5. Reference    6. Popular psychology    7. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    8. Psychology / Movements / Jungian   

Reviews (8)

Fantastic Campbell
This book is wonderful for everyone!Whether you are a long-time fan of Joseph Campbell or new to his teachings, it is great.
Absolutely Perfect
This book was in perfect condition for a second hander, it was soo reasonably priced and it's just one of those diamonds in the rough. Joseph Campbell is such a unique individual who has such insight. He's like an academic spiritual writer, who speaks from the heart about myth and it's place in the world so we can better understand ourselves. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

Fantastic Introduction to Joseph Campbell
I used to recommend people start with Myths to Live By, but now I think people should start with Pathways To Bliss. It's just a fantastic overview of the ideas that Joseph Campbell expands on and reiterates throughout his other books.
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Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    3. Mythology    4. Psychological aspects    5. Religion    6. Sociology    7. Myths & mythology    8. Religion / Comparative Religion   

Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. Encyclopedias    3. Historical Atlases    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Mythology    6. Sociology   

Reviews (17)

Marvelous
Everything by Joseph Campbell is wonderful, but these transcribed talks are the most approachable.

Our own, and the world's, divine ground
I am glad that I finally got around to reading this collection of Campbell's lectures delivered between 1958 and 1971. Since they deal with eternal subject matter there is little chance of them being "dated." The common theme running through them all is the deep power of myth on the inner, spiritual lives of human beings throughout the ages. This includes our own age, whether we personally want to admit or recognize it.
A new mythology
What is a mythology? What role does it play in modern society? Does it have any positive effects in our culture? Campbell's book explores these questions, by giving a clear account of the different mythologies around the world and throughout the ages. This comparative study of our ancestral and modern beliefs and views of the universe not only enlighten us as to how our forefathers confronted reality but it, as well, teaches us how we can deal with the world of experience around us.
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Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    4. Mythology    5. Fiction / Folklore    6. Myths & mythology   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. General    3. Mythology    4. Philosophy    5. Sociology   

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Reviews (1)

He lived a life well thought out
No matter how many times i listen to Joseph Campbell I always hear something that I missed before.So I keep listening. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    4. Myth    5. Mythology    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Religion / General   

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Reviews (2)

The Holy Grail of the Grail Legend Explanations
With the unbelievable success of Dan Brown's DaVinci Code, the good old Holy Grail has been catapulted into the minds and imaginations of readers worldwide.That book, an easily accessible novelization of the theories put forth in Baigent & Leigh's 1981 book Holy Blood Holy Grail, has spread wide that book's contention that the Grail is actually a sacred bloodline guarded by a secret society that has existed through the ages since Medieval times, the "Priory of Sion."That theory has been subsequently debunked as an elaborate hoax perpetrated by a strange Frenchman.Still, the theory has been given new life due to Brown, and has perked the antennae of millions who may now look at vast stretches of European history with a curious and conspiratorial eye.
Wonderful
Listening to these tapes has rekindled my passion for writing and storytelling. In these tapes Joseph Campbell tells the detailed story of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. He includes fascinating details and versions of the stories that I never knew existed. He also shows how the history of England impacted the different versions of the King Arthur legend. For me, the stories and information on these tapes is more delicious than ice cream and cake. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Myth    5. Mythology    6. Spirituality - General    7. Religion / General   

Reviews (17)

Caveat Emptor
Campbell was quite prolific; why would he have published such a very short book? He didn't, actually, it was put together posthumously. Understanding the editor is key to understanding this book.I found odd that such a short book could nonetheless be so incoherent and incomprehensible. After researching its editor, Eugene C. Kennedy, it made sense. What the publishers of this book don't tell you (don't want you to know?) is that Eugene C. Kennedy was a Catholic Maryknoll priest for 22 years, teaches at the Jesuit Loyola University, and is the author of such classics of humanist mythological studies as "Would You Like to be a Catholic?" and "Cardinal Bernadin's Stations of the Cross". This information puts "Thou Art That" into perspective.The book starts out with (ex-)Father Kennedy's preposterous assertion that Campbell had some kind of deathbed conversion. Apparently Campbell's wife put Campbell in a Catholic hospital, then claimed that her husband had spent his entire life studying spirituality, mythology, and archetypes without ever once in his life "experiencing emotionally" their meaning... until he saw some kind of Catholic religious image before he died. This sounds like wishful thinking on the part of the "Doctrine of the Faith" department. I very much doubt this happened; the assertion puts Campbell's entire life's work into question. What kind of person could write about something his whole life without ever experiencing it emotionally?Reading Kennedy's selection of Campbell's works is like reading Thomas Aquinas's selection of Arisotle's works: the result is a confused, disjointed mess, because the material has been gerrymandered in a sometimes desperate attempt to make the author more palatable to Catholic theology. It appears that very little of Campbell's work suits Kennedy's purposes, which would explain why the book is both so short and so fragmentary. At the very least, such an editing misrepresents the author.Here's some Latin that the editor should have shared with you: "caveat emptor".

An Encyclopedic Knowledge of Mythology
Joseph Campbell is a brilliant thinker with an encyclopedic knowledge of mythology. THOU ART THAT, however, is filled with dense material and is not an easy read without some prior familiarity with Campbell's work - such as his TV interviews with Bill Moyers. Useful Introduction
Campbell points out that all of the religions of the West come from the Near East rather than Europe. He is referring to Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In all of these religions it is taught that the world was made by God. The creator is God and the creature is the world. The world and God are not the same. In these religions the Divine is not within the individual.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian symbolism    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - Theology - General    4. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    5. General    6. Metaphor    7. Mythology    8. Philosophy    9. Religion    10. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    11. Religious aspects    12. Judaism    13. Myths & mythology    14. Philosophy of religion    15. Philosophy & Spirituality   

Reviews (16)

A VeryInspiring Read
Well, it took some years, but I finally finished reading Campbell's, "Masks of God" series and I must say I agree with another reviewer as Campbell has indeed saved the best for last.
Weaving of many golden threads
I've used Campbells' works and derivatives thereof as source material before; however, this is the first time I've sat down and read it cover to cover, instead of a chapter here, a section there.
Peering into the ancient past for the myths of mankind
"Primitive Mythology" is the first book of four "Masks of God", which surveys the "power of myth" from the beginning of mankind's known history. It is not the easiest of reading. There are frequent breaks in the form of long quoted passages. In the latter part of the book Campbell catalogues the diffusion, or spread, of mythic themesfrom the Paleolithic to the Neolithic, which I found tedious, in part because I have no previous background. But beyond a little tedium and some dense prose, this book is immensely rewarding.
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Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    4. Mythology    5. Fiction / Folklore    6. Myths & mythology   

Subjects:  1. Literature - Classics / Criticism    2. Mythology    3. Sociology   

Reviews (6)

The role of myth in the history of the Middle East and Europe
One topic from PRIMITIVE MYTHOLOGY, the first volume of the MASKS OF GOD, that is especially prominent in the beginning of this volume concerns the mythology of the Earth Goddess reaching back to the Bronze Age. Primitive agriculture spread within the broad equatorial zone but first developed in the Middle East, and the myths that come out of that time represent an endless cycle of life and death, growth and decay, in which everything is renewed as in the obvious phases of the moon, in the endless reappearance of the sun. The force of this growth and renewal is necessarily female, of the goddess, and the items that appear in the artifacts dating from this time concern the serpent, the tree, the moon, and include signs of both human and animal sacrifice for the purpose of ensuring fertility.
A Fundamentally Flawed, Misleading Work
Campbell gets way too much credit for being intelligent. In this book, he severely mocks the Book of Genesis, a very stupid thing to do. Even if one does not believe the narratives of Genesis, its antiquity and terse language (in the original Hebrew) demand respect. Campbell's analysis of Greek myth (more like a pointless exercise in free association) is devoid of understanding. He never grasped that Greek "myth" is not myth at all but rather the history of the human race told from the Greeks' unique religious standpoint. For real understanding, I recommend THE PARTHENON CODE: MANKIND'S HISTORY IN MARBLE.

Complex and rewarding read......
When Joseph Campbell died, we lost a treasure. Campbell spent years building his vast knowledge of myths and thankfully, committed much of his distilled knowledge to writing. OCCIDENTAL MYTHOLOGY is one of three major works the author compiled about the history of the myth and is part of the THE MASKS OF GOD series. In OM Campbell reinforces the compelling case he made to Bill Moyers and through his writing, that we need to look beyond the masks if we would truly know `the thing that stands behind'. In the`Masks of the Gods'series, Campbell synthesizes much of the archeological, linguistic, and theological material discovered and analyzed in the 20th Century, to elaborate and modify many themes found in Sir James Frazier's GOLDEN BOUGH written almost a century earlier. Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    4. Mythology    5. Fiction / Folklore    6. History of ideas, intellectual history    7. Myths & mythology    8. Spirituality   

Reviews (5)

Uneven but fascinating commentary
"Oriental Mythology" is the second in the "Masks of God" series, the follow up to "Primitive Mythology". It covers more of the mind boggling extent of humankind's mythic past, material that is the basis for religion and philosophy. Campbell presents all sorts of details from artifacts dug up by archeologists and some rather long-winded quoted passages. Much of it is rather uneven and challenging to follow, but the payoff is usually Campbell's own commentary which often uses a soaring language to elucidate, to associate and connect different myths of different cultures.
Heavy reading
This book is a massive summary, comparison of, and commentary on oriental mythology.It is divided into 3 major parts: Western Oriental mythology, Indian mythology, and the mythologies of the Far East.Campbell's incredible scholarship is very impressive, and rather overwhelming at times.He obviously had a great familiarity with the mythologies and religions of practically all areas of the planet.However, his explanations for general readers of foreign mythologies weren't always clear, as evidenced in this book.Much of this book focuses on developing the idea that Oriental mythologies had one major origin, in the Egypt of the Pharaohs. According to Campbell, traces of the religion and mythologies of the Pharaohs, as well as implements of their material culture, could subsequently be found in every major culture heading eastward, from Persia to India, from China to Japan. The Inscrutable Orient is Explained
In this second volume of the "Mask" Trilogy, Campbell has moved from the perhistorical to historical.There is and has always been a great divide between the Occident and the Orient on matters of faith and Campbell thinks this has a lot to do with the mythical origins underlying all cultures and religions.Oddly, he begins in Egypt which eventually approached the Occidental viewpoint.But it is in the deserts of that ancient land that we begin with the ideas being set by the changeless seasons and the Nile.Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    4. Mythology    5. Mythology, Oriental    6. China    7. Egypt    8. Fiction / Folklore    9. India    10. Japan    11. Myths & mythology    12. Oriental religions    13. Spirituality   

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Reviews (2)

Campbell speaks on the roots of the orient
tezcatlipoca22 Gives an excellent description of this work.I would like to add; Campbell offers insightful antidotes to reinforce concepts addressed in his lecture, his humor is dryly abundant, and he speaks on the core concepts found in this region's religions that is often misinterpreted and underestimated by the western civilized world.This work is for those with or without a strong understanding of the oriental life.

Wonderful Overview of Asian Beliefs
This collection of readings by Joseph Campbell give a wonderful overview of the mythical traditions of the "east" (as opposed to those of the occidental "west). By Campbell's definition, the line (which is pretty blurry) is drawn around the Indus. Hence, this collection focuses on the Indian traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the creative traditions of the far east. In the first tape "Oriental Mythology", he explores this, showing a tradition where man himself is the great mystery, where there is no tradition of the "originl sin" or of an exile from the divine. These traditions are very different from those of the west (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), so it is very nice that Campbell starts off by explaining the framework for Asian society. Following this is an exploration of the "Mystic Traditions of India", wherein Campbell explores yoga, the caste system and the concept of nirvana, setting a framework for explorations of both Hinduism and Buddhism (both of which grew out of indigenous Indian traditions). The next tapes explore Hinduism and Buddhism respectively. Although I would say that Hinduism is such a broad, contradictory reigion (or rather collection of several different religions all under a common umbrela) that a single tape is a risky adventure at best, this is still a wonderful tape anyway. Especially with the exploration of yogis and left-handed mysticism. The exploration of Buddhism is also wonderful, including a description of the Buddhas life. Listening to these two tapes, it becomes very appearent that Campbell had a deep respect and interest in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. His final tape wraps everything up with a wonderful exploration of how ideas and beliefs have bled over into Asian culture and lifestyles. He focuses on belief systems as diverse as Taoism, Zen and Hinduism. Ultimately he sums up the mystical experience within Oriental beliefs in general. This is a wonderful collection of tapes and a superb item for anyone interested in mythology, religion or philosophy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    4. Myth    5. Mythology    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Religion / General   

Reviews (5)

Myths of Light: Eastern Metaphors of the Eternal
Three hundred years ago, St. John of the Cross wrote a beautiful work of Christian mystical poetry, describing his own spiritual journey toward union with the Divine in love. He then added commentary that maps out the path with careful precision. In Dark Night of the Soul, St. John describes a path of "horrendous" suffering, renouncing all desires and losing all sense of a personal Self.
Great Introduction to Asian Religion
I heard about this book at the Campbell Foundations website and was very interested--I'd always wanted to learn more about Asian religions but had found the books I'd looked at either too hard-core academic or too new-agey or too obscure. I tried reading the Bhagavad Gita ten years ago, and thought it was cool, but couldn't really understand it. A wonderful introduction to asian religion
This book was a lovely, focused introduction to Hinduism and Buddhism, with a little Jainism and Taoism thrown in for good measure. I loved Cambpell's ability both to find the lovely, telling details in each of these traditions, and to find the overarching themes--especially the idea of Brahman, which he sees as underpinning all of them. I also particularly loved Cambpell's sense of humor--in one section he's describing the reincarnation of the soul, and says it's putting on and taking off bodies "like a shopper at Macy's trying on scarves"! That page is marked in my copy by the tea I sputtered because I laughed so loudly.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia    2. Asian And Oriental Religions    3. Eastern - General    4. Folklore & Mythology    5. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    6. Mythology    7. Mythology, Asian    8. Religion    9. Sociology    10. Asian studies    11. Myths & mythology   

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Reviews (3)

Amazing how much alike we are the world over
And Joseph Campbell spent a lifetime showing our similitaries with each other not our diffenences.

Like Being in Joseph Campbell's College Classroom!
These recorded lectures are fantastic.If you ever had a great professor in college who taught fascinating classes, then you have an idea what these lectures are like.They will turn you on again to learning and remind you of what college was like at its finest.
Classic and Inspiring talks on Eastern and Western mythology
I listened to this series of CD's on my way back from a road trip recently.The poor recording quality of the first cd made me worry that they would all be bad, but whatever the problem was, they seemed to have fixed it for the following lectures because the others sound just fine.
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Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    4. Myth    5. Mythology    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Religion / General   

Reviews (4)

the tales that teach
I just love this book. The story from which the book takes its title profoundly affected me the first time I read it: it is the story of an Indian king who has to take part in a quest.This turns out to be an unexpected and thoroughly comprehensive lesson in life and the king emerges from it as a new and wiser person. You will also feel different after reading it. All the stories related in this book are incredibly old but can still connect with the deepest part of our souls. A book to reread.

Shimmering Zimmer
In the tradition of Johann Jacob Bachhofen and in league with those such as Joseph Campbell,Heinrich Zimmer"s "The King and The Corpse" gets about as good as you will findwith respect tocomparative mythology. I highly recommend any Jung readers to visitZimmer's brilliant pages. I also find the melding of Western and Easternmyth systems to be superb. Here is an adventurous path to follow.

Shimmering Zimmer